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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Quirky Birthday

Good morning friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! We ended up with more snow over the last couple of days than I thought we'd get but 'tis the season!

Today I have a clean and simple card to show ya. I used the sketch from this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. Everything (except for the ribbon of course) on this card is from the Quirky Ostrich set from Doodle Pantry. On the inside I wrote I hope you get the chance to shake your tail feathers for your birthday this year! That sentiment is taken from the set as well.

For the first time in about 10 years I will not be making Thanksgiving dinner...little known fact about me...I had never cooked a turkey until after Todd and I got married. Since then (10 years) we have made Thanksgiving as a couple. I have made some dishes and Todd made some. Of course, that would depend on his schedule but I digress. We are going to Grandma Nancy's house for Thanksgiving Dinner and the only thing I will be cooking is mashed potatoes. And not just any mashed potatoes but a recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I call these the 'I don't care" mashed potatoes 'cuz you just can't care what is in them! Yeah, you all know they are going to be good, huh?

Make sure you hop over to the Doodle Pantry blog so that you can see what challenges we are sponsoring and perhaps win some more of those fabulous DP images for yourself!

Thought of the day: I am incredibly proud of my infantry solider!"Infantrymen have a pride and arrogance that most Americans don't understand and don't like. Even soldiers who aren't infantrymen don't understand. The pride doesn't exist because we have a job that's physically impressive. It certainly doesn't exist because it takes a higher level of intelligence to perform our duties. It's sad and I hate to admit it, but any college student or high school grad can physically do what we do. It's not THAT demanding and doesn't take a physical anomaly. Nobody will ever be able to compare us to professional athletes or fitness models. And it doesn't take a very high IQ to read off serial numbers, pack bags according to a packing list, or know that incoming bullets have the right of way. The pride of the infantryman comes not from knowing that he's doing a job that others can't, but that he's doing a job that others simply won't. Many infantrymen haven't seen a lot of combat. While that may sound ideal to the civilian or non-infantry soldier, it pains the grunt. We signed up to spit in the face of danger. To walk the line between life and death and live to do it again - or not. To come to terms with our own mortality and let others try to take our life instead of yours. We have raised our hands and said, "Take me, America. I am willing to kill for you. I am willing to sacrifice my limbs for you. I will come back to America scarred and disfigured for you. I will be the first to die for you." That's why the infantryman carries himself with pride and arrogance. He's aware that America has lost respect for him. To many he's a bloodthirsty animal. To others he's too uneducated and stupid to get a regular job or go to college. Only he knows the truth. While there are few in America who claim to have respect for him, the infantryman returns from war with less fanfare than a first down in a high school football game. Yes, people hang up their "Support Our Troops" ribbons and on occasion thank us for our service. But in their eyes the infantryman can detect pity and shame; not respect. Consider this: How excited would you be to meet the average infantryman? Now compare that with how excited you'd be to meet a famous actor or professional sports player and you will find that you, too, are guilty of placing the wrong people on a pedestal. You wouldn't be able to tell me how many soldiers died in the war last month, but you'd damn sure be able to tell me if one of the actors from Twilight died. Yet the infantryman doesn't complain about that. He continues to do his job; to volunteer his life for you, all while being paid less in four years than Tom Brady makes in one game. It's a job most Americans don't understand, don't envy, and don't respect. That is why we have pride for the infantry!" Author Unknown to me

12 comments:

Love the ostrich image. He is adorable. Yummy mashed potatoe recipe. I am cooking for the first time ever for Thanksgiving. And it will be the first time ever to not travel for the holiday. But all my kids will be home and we'll be a family for a day or two and that's what's important to me! Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow - what a wonderful thought for the day, Lorie. Thank you. Your card is adorable, dear friend! I'm sure that your taters will be delish!!! Can't wait to see a photo of them :) hint hint. Glad that you don't have to cook, and will get to spend time with family. Be careful out there in the snow - don't re-injure that foot! Hugs...

I'm here to tell you that I've come across some ostriches in my travels (local safari-type animal reserve where you drive through in your car) who were not as nice as the one on your card. In fact, they wanted to play chicken with my car and then pecked at my hood. Odd creatures those ostriches are! LOL

Beautiful card Lorie, but I really,really like the article on the infantrymen. We owe so much and give so little thanks. Just take it for granted they are out there and things will always be fine, never thinking of their sacrifice. Thank you for the reminder..